Thursday, April 20, 2017

NIGERIA'S AGRIC MINISTER ADDRESSES GMO ISSUES AT LSF CONFERENCE

A GOODWILL
MESSAGE BY THE HON. MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, CHIEF AUDU
OGBEH AT THE 2ND NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH,
HOLDING AT THE REDEEMER’S UNIVERSITY, EDE, OSUN STATE SLATED FOR 4TH
– 5TH APRIL 2017

Protocol!

I want to thank the Organizers of this Conference for giving me
the opportunity to deliver this Goodwill message on the theme “Managing the
environment to protect our vulnerable populations”

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, protecting the environment is
a major political, socio-cultural and economic undertaking that cannot be left
to speculations; unhealthy rivalry by various Government Agencies or Ministry
and to the unpredictability of the ad hoc.

A quick peep into some existing laws, policies and practices,
speaks powerfully to a Nation in search of environmental development and calls
for an urgent compass in terms of legislation to drive a more coordinated
system in order to protect the health and life of our teeming populace.

In view of the prevailing situation, there is no better time than
now to formulate a National Policy on environment and health. Such a
policy should take cognizance of the conspicuous absence of the environment and
health on the exclusive and concurrent legislative list on the 1999 Constitution
and therefore the need for equitable and judicious allocation of responsibility
for environment and health between the Federal and State Governments.

Distinguished Stakeholders, Ladies and Gentlemen! Without the
cooperation of us all, we cannot achieve our national goal and aspiration. I
therefore call for executive/legislature synergy, Federal/state government
synergy and cooperation, and for Public/Private Sector collaboration. The
Multinationals, whose activities impact and will continue to impact on our
environment should ensure that their code of practice with regard to the
environment here in Nigeria is similar to what they have in other parts of the
world. I also solicit the attention and support of the various international
agencies dealing with environmental issues. I believe that all of us working
together, our ultimate goal of enthroning an effective regulatory framework for
sustainable healthy environment and pollution free ecosystem in Nigeria is
achievable.

From global perspective, the UN member states have even discussed
and agreed on what should be the global priorities that need to be met within
the next 15 years—2015 to 2030. These priorities are now called the Sustainable
Development Goals or The Global Goals. There are 17 Global Goals that cover a
number of important issues for the world in which production that will make the
planet cleaner and healthier is prioritized and emphasized because frankly,
without a planet there’s no life!

It is amazing to note that all of the 17 Goals are directly or
indirectly connected to the preservation of the planet.

A Kenyan Proverb instructs us to, ‘Treat the earth well; it was
not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.”

The Earth is the present home for our children and we must keep it
clean and safe. When we fail to clean and maintain our environment, we fall
ill. There is an increase in air borne diseases, terminal diseases like
cancer—organ failure—etc. A dirty and wasteful society leads to a sick society.
We must attach more importance to our surroundings.

World Environmental Day is observed every year on the 5th
of June to raise awareness of the environmental issues and how our actions as
human beings are affecting the environment. The day aims to encourage people to
protect our planet in little ways.

A Congolese proverb states that one should “Prepare now for the
solutions of tomorrow”.

The UN has also called for a worldwide campaign to take strong
action to curb illegal trade of wildlife products that are threatening
biodiversity—such as poaching, smuggling—illegal trade of wildlife products
that are driving various wildlife species to the brink of extinction.

Coming home to Nigeria, what can we do to protect and preserve our
environment so that we can live healthy lives and leave our earth better than
we met it for our children? Let’s start at our doorstep—we know how much effort
is being put in by the Federal Government to make Nigeria a better place for
us. We can start by cleaning our gutters and drainages, and sweeping our
compounds. Let us decide to make every day an environmental sanitation day for
ourselves so as to enhance our healthy living.

Lest I forget, one of the key issues to be addressed
according to the organizers of this conference is the place of Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMO) in Agriculture in the Nigerian setting.

GMO is a product of such relationships between biology
and technology. GMO is used to generate genetically modified plants which in
turn are used to produce food crops. The result of this is that GMO is used to
generate food crops that are finally processed for consumption for the end user
which is the consumer of such product.

Basically, according to the World Health Organisation
(WHO), GMO is a genetically (DNA) altered organism which has moved from its
natural state to more synthetic and artificial state. The process is referred
to as “genetic engineering.” This is done in order to be able to adapt such
organisms to cope with a more pressing demand of consumption from various areas
in which GMO is always utilized

In Nigeria, the BioSafety Bill is being engineered to
ensure that GMO is allowed in Nigeria. Notwithstanding the benefits of GMO in a
country like Nigeria and at a time when Agriculture is being touted to take
over Oil and Gas as the main source of generating income in the country, the
rush to accommodate GMO must be treated with utmost caution.

The debate over GMO are too overwhelming which currently
ranges from Intellectual Property rights and rights of farmers to plant
whatever they chose to and also their rights to truthful information about GMO
for the Nigerian Government to dive headfirst into the GMO program. Taking into
account of its health implications and the resultant effects of GMO in Nigeria,
proper sensitization should and must be generated by stakeholders in order to
reach a more objective view on GMO.

On a final note, it is my humble prayer that the proceedings of
this conference open new vistas of solutions to our national environmental and
environmental right problems as well as contribute to our health and economic
development.

About Church Arise! LivingWater Ministries

The Church Arise! LivingWater Ministries (CALM), Ile-Ife, Nigeria is a non-denominational non-profit organization whose vision is to arouse the Body of Christ to the challenges and opportunities of these end times. We seek to warn about the wiles of the devil (on a wild rampage knowing that he has but a short time Rev 12:12); and simultaneously encourage the Children of God to maintain a Kingdom perspective viz-a-viz daily occurring issues, which appearing mundane on the surface, could actually turn out to be of eternal consequences. We dare not fritter away the great priviledge of being on planet Earth at a time like these (see Matthew 13:17).
The vision for the ministry was received at the 1997 God's End-Time Army Conference; and operations commenced January 1, 1998 with the launching of Vol 1 No 1 of the bi-monthly newsletter, Church Arise!.
The ministry was formally launched on April 6 2001 by a team led by Bishop Francis Wale Oke (SOTSM), Pastor Adewole Haastrup (RCCG) and HRH, Pastor Julius Fatanmi (RCCG).
Dr Joshua Ojo is the President.
Please visit our website www.churcharise.org for useful downloads.